Robert Wild

What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?

“One invisible but essential fact about me is that I have deep passion for mountain sports, particularly mountaineering. Not only do I derive a great deal of happiness and achievement from this sport, but I have found it to be extremely humbling and an excellent form of character building.

What started as out as a small hike up a hill in Malaysia developed into a full-blown desire to climb mountains that were bigger, higher and more challenging. At fourteen years old, I became the youngest Singaporean (a much younger Singaporean would take this title years later!) to summit Mount Kilimanjaro and in 2018, I would go on to summit Mount Elbrus in Russia. After the MBA, I aim to complete the seven summit challenge which entails climbing the highest mountain on each continent (I have five left).

I’d like to share three lessons that I have kept from my climbing endeavors over the last fifteen years.

1) You win some, you lose some. Despite the best preparation, equipment, and planning, there will always be factors outside of your control in the mountains. The weather might decide to turn bad, forcing you to abandon a summit attempt weeks in the making. The same goes for the rest of life, you are going to lose some battles; what matters is that you shrug it off quickly, avoid the blame game, and move on to the next battle.

2) This too shall pass. Every emotion – the highest of highs and lowest of lows – passes in time. Succeeding in a climb that took months of preparation feels great for a few days before the euphoria passes, and similarly, the disappointment of failing to summit a mountain passes quickly. Remember that all moments in life, both happy and sad, will eventually pass. Stay humble in your victories and stay positive in your defeats.

3) Mind over matter. While everyone has a physical limit, our brains are programmed to protect us and often cause us to think that we are at our limits when in fact, we can push much further. Summit days on mountains are often extremely long and it is common for climbers to reach a point where one’s mind becomes the biggest enemy; an inner voice telling you to give up and turn around every minute. The same goes for other aspects of life – take that step and push yourself one step further whenever your mind tells you to give up.”